COLUMBUS, Ohio — No. 3 Ohio State used a big third quarter to pull away for a 35-7 win against Iowa on Saturday, setting the stage for the unbeaten Buckeyes’ showdown next Saturday night at No. 6 Oregon.
The Buckeyes scored on their first possession, a 14-play, 88-yard drive that consumed half the first quarter, but a series of miscues kept the score at 7-0 through halftime. Facing its first real defensive test of the season, Ohio State stepped on the gas in the third quarter with touchdowns on each of its first four second-half possessions to slam the door shut. The Buckeyes outgained the Hawkeyes 412 to 226.
Ohio State improved to 5-0 (2-0 Big Ten) heading into the highly anticipated trip to Eugene. Iowa fell to 3-2 (1-1) and hosts Washington next week. Iowa has lost eight consecutive games against ranked opponents and hasn’t scored more than 17 points in any of those losses. It was shut out in all three matchups with ranked teams last season and didn’t score until the fourth quarter Saturday when the game was out of reach.
Ohio State shows it can win in the trenches
Last year’s Ohio State team was one of the best in the country on paper. It had one of the best receiving corps in the country, a deep running back unit and a stacked defense.
The same could be said about this year’s team, but the feel around this group is different because of the offensive and defensive lines. Ohio State ran for 203 yards and 5.1 yards per carry on Saturday against an Iowa defense that was giving up just 62 yards per game and 2.4 yards per carry coming in. It was a dominant performance.
Iowa hadn’t allowed a rushing touchdown this season…until now.
Will Howard getting it done for @OhioStateFB. pic.twitter.com/qO0836ST4n
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 5, 2024
On the other side, Ohio State gave up just 116 rushing yards against Iowa’s stellar rushing attack led by star running back Kaleb Johnson. Iowa came into the game averaging 250 yards and 5.9 yards per carry, but it had just 2.3 yards per carry until Ohio State’s starters were pulled out at the 10:58 mark of the fourth quarter. Iowa finished with 4.3 yards per carry after a 28-yard touchdown run by Johnson and a 30-yard run by Brendan Sullivan with the backup defense in the game.
Ohio State couldn’t have done that a year ago. The offensive line was inconsistent, and the defensive line, though talented, struggled to stop the run in big moments and finished fifth in the Big Ten, giving up 119 rushing yards per game.
This year, it appears that Ohio State can hang its hat on dominating up front.
Iowa is no slouch. This wasn’t Akron or Western Michigan or even Michigan State; this was a talented and physical Iowa front that can beat up on most of the rest of the Big Ten.
The Oregon game next week will be different and rely on more athleticism, but Ohio State has been searching for its identity as a team and its physicality looks to be it. The “soft” stereotype that some Ryan Day teams have been labeled as in the past doesn’t fit this group at all. Saturday was evidence of that. – Cameron Teague Robinson
Howard shaky in first true test but finishes strong
This was a big game for Will Howard, the Kansas State transfer quarterback.
He’s been relatively good for the Buckeyes this season, but Iowa was his biggest test thus far. Howard completed 21 of 25 passes for 209 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. All in all, it was a good day, but he struggled in the first half, especially on traditional dropback plays. He threw for just 89 yards in the first half with an underthrown interception intended for Emeka Egbuka on a corner route.
Howard bounced back with a strong second half, throwing for touchdowns on well-thrown balls in the red zone to Jeremiah Smith (who came down with another one-handed touchdown) and Egbuka, and he added a rushing touchdown. Howard has shown glimpses of being special, but his deep ball is still inconsistent and Iowa made him throw into some tight windows. Oregon will look to do the same, so Howard has to take care of the ball after tallying an interception in each of the last three games.
ONE-HANDED 😱@OhioStateFB extends their lead with this Jeremiah Smith touchdown.#B1GFootball on CBS 📺 pic.twitter.com/3VMuKAvxEQ
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) October 5, 2024
The good thing about Howard is that the reads, outside of the Michigan State interception, haven’t been bad. If he were making the same bad reads every week, I’d be concerned. He also makes red zone throws look easy, as all three of his touchdowns were one-on-one throws in the end zone that he put in the right spot for the receiver to come and get.
Howard is far from perfect, but he passed his first big Ohio State test despite a shaky start. — Teague Robinson
Risk-averse strategy fails Iowa
Kirk Ferentz once admitted his biggest on-field regret took place in 2009 at Ohio Stadium. The score was tied 24-24 and Iowa had the ball at its 33-yard line with 52 seconds left. The winner claimed the outright Big Ten championship. Ferentz opted to hand off once, take a knee and go to overtime. Ohio State won 27-24.
Although the stakes were nowhere as high on Saturday, the location was the same and the scenario was semi-similar. In the second quarter, Iowa faced fourth-and-1 just inside the 50-yard line trailing 7-0. Ferentz waited for a review on the spot, the ball moved a few inches forward and Iowa had about two feet to go for a first down. The Hawkeyes called a fake punt, and upback Hayden Large burst forward for a first down. But a shade ahead of the snap, Ferentz called a timeout. Then Iowa punted.
Iowa didn’t have enough offense — or talent — to keep up with Ohio State. When it came to those plays when his team could steal a possession or extend one, Ferentz needed to be aggressive and take a shot. The risk-averse strategy works against many, if not most teams. It certainly does not against national championship-caliber squads.
Ferentz needed to take one for the team. Instead, when his team needed him to take that chance, he turtled up. — Scott Dochterman
McNamara hamstrings Iowa at QB
Sixth-year quarterback Cade McNamara made a name for himself by helping Michigan win the 2021 Big Ten title, which was punctuated by a 42-27 victory against Ohio State. In McNamara’s most recent appearance against the Buckeyes, it hardly resembled his previous one. In fact, it’s obvious the Wolverines elevated McNamara that year, not the other way around.
On three consecutive second-half possessions, McNamara fumbled twice and threw an interception. Both of Iowa’s fumbles took place inside of its 30-yard line and both led to touchdowns. In the middle of those fumbles, Iowa reached the Ohio State 24-yard line. On a first-down pass, McNamara threw short of his receiver and it was picked off by Davison Igbinosun and returned to Iowa’s 40. That, too, turned into an Ohio State touchdown.
By the mid-fourth quarter, McNamara left for junior backup Brendan Sullivan, who promptly led the Hawkeyes on a touchdown drive. McNamara finished 14-of-20 passing for 98 yards. This year, he has 686 passing yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. In 10 total games at Iowa, which counts his five games last year before a torn ACL, McNamara has 1,191 passing yards, seven touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 58.5 percent of his passes.
Iowa brought McNamara in to elevate the offense but it’s stagnant with him. It’s time to give the reins to Sullivan full-time. McNamara has had more than enough time. — Dochterman
(Photo of Jeremiah Smith: Jason Mowry / Getty Images)
